RemembRance Day | UTS appoints its new pRincipal | Branch events the uts alumni magazine | spring 2011 Learning and Service Principal Michaele Robertson is stepping down after five eventful years at the helm. laudemus magistros nostros Centennial wrap-up Alumni reminisce about teachers who went More than 6,300 people joyously above and beyond to inspire and motivate. joined our Centennial celebrations. Upcoming UTS Events UTS AlUmni ASSociATion BoArd of Mark Your Calendars direcTorS PresidenT Peter Neilson ’71 Thursday, May 5, 2011 416-214-5431 vice PresidenT Annual Art Exhibition and Reception Rob Duncan ’95 From 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the UTS gym. 416-809-2488 For more information, contact: [email protected] PasT PresidenT George Crawford ’72 416-499-9000 Thursday, May 12 – sunday, May 15, 2011 Treasurer Ontario Classics Conference Bob Cumming ’65 416-727-6640 At Brock University. Alumni are invited to come and cheer on the reigning provincial champion UTS team at the chariot race, on Saturday, May 14, at 2:30 p.m. at the Brock Circle hOnOrary and join our team during the Pompa, at 5:00 p.m. Our storied past projects us towards an ever PresidenT Michaele M. Robertson bright future! Contact Classics Teacher Eugene Di Sante for details: [email protected] 416-946-5334 hOnOrary Wednesday, May 25, 2011 vice PresidenT Rick Parsons UTSAA Annual General Meeting 416-946-7088 direcTOrs 6:00 p.m. in the UTS Library. Contact: [email protected] Don Ainslie ’84 416-910-9360 Thursday, June 23, 2011 Jonathan Bitidis ’99 416-703-7918 UTSAA Golf Tournament Don Borthwick ’54 705-436-3452 Join us at St. Andrew’s Valley for our 16th Annual Tournament. Tee-offs from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Contact: [email protected] or call 416-978-3919 for more information. Aaron Chan ’94 416-224-2426 Nina Coutinho ’04 Friday, OcTOber 28, 2011 647-501-2308 Peter Frost ’63 Alumni Dinner and Awards 416-867-2035 • Special Anniversary Year Celebrations: Mark Opashinov ’88 1936, 1941, 1946, 1951, 1956, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006 416-925-8617 • All years are welcome! • UTS Hall of Fame Inductees will be honoured. The third H.J. Crawford Award will be Emily Rix ’96 416-447-6340 presented and the recipient honoured. Tom Sanderson ’55 The Dinner will be held at UTS: 5:30 p.m. Reception, 6:30 p.m. Awards and 416-604-4890 Student Program, 7:30 dinner. Register at: www.utschools.ca/rsvp Contact: [email protected] or call 416-978-3919. Nick Smith ’63 416-920-0159 Jennifer Suess ’94 416-654-2391 Phil Weiner ’01 416-868-2239 John Wilkinson ’78 416-489-2291 5 17 35 IN r SHo T m ark Your calendars 2 Contents Upcoming alumni & school events the root | spring 2011 Bits & Pieces 4 Noteworthy UTS tidbits r emembrance day 35 13 The Best School in Canada Photos from November’s service A conversation with Principal Michaele Robertson. rSePo T President’s report 8 17 Centennial Notebook & Gala A new chapter begins More than 6,300 participants joyously joined in the celebrations of UTS’ own fin de siècle. Principal’s message 9 Castles in the air UTS Board report 10 23 Praise where Praise is Due Building the future We asked you to tell us who you considered to be your most influential teacher; here are some of the more than 100 responses we received. f oundation report 11 An intro to the UTSF Advancement report 12 29 Alumni News Paying it forward All the latest in the lives of your classmates, including In Memoriam and tributes to the lives of two distinguished Alumni. On the cover: Principal Michaele Robertson in her office with student co-captains Lauren Katz and Richard Liu. Our thanks to this issue’s contributors: Nina Coutinho ’04, Dorothy Davis, Martha Drake, Fred Enzel, Stephen Gauer ’70, Bob Lord ’58, Lily McGregor, Peter Neilson ’71, Jennifer Orazietti, Jane Rimmer, Marie-Claire Récurt, Michaele M. Robertson, Bill Saunderson ’52, Diana Shepherd ’80 Photography: Cover, Victor Yeung u niversiTy OF TOrOnTO schOOls aluMni assOciaTiOn 371 s Bloor treet West, Room 121, toronto, Ontario m5s 2R7 Phone: 416-978-3919 Fax: 416-971-2354 Editor: Diana Shepherd ’80 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.utschools.ca/alumni | Published spring and Fall, The Root is available to all alumni, parents, and friends of UTS. Contact us at the above addresses to receive a copy Design: Rick Blechta (Castlefield Media) or to change your address. this issue is also available at: www.utschools.ca/alumni/alumnimagazine.aspx Printed by: Thistle Printing Ltd. S pRing 2011 | t he u ts a l u m n i m a g a z i n e : the root 3 Bits&p ieces A Compendium of Noteworthy UTS Tidbits UTS Alumni Share Anthony Lee ’86. Anthony a way to play a part in our started and still leads the ongoing success, donations their Passion for Taiko percussion ensemble, of musical instruments are a music with Students which has become a valu- wonderful way to contribute able musical group at UTS. and are much needed. If you Music is alive and well at Since graduating from are interested in donating an UTS. Inside the school, our UTS, Mitchell has created instrument – or your time – students help organize and a music education program to the UTS music program, perform a variety of annual called “Music as a Second please contact Ron Royer at events such as the Holiday Language”, which teaches [email protected]. Concert, Nocturne, and the classically-trained musicians Spring Concerts. In addi- how to improvise. Beginning tion, many perform through- n ot lost in as an after-school pilot out the city and beyond, Translation project at UTS in 2009, the Kate Fung ’10 has made a unique playing in groups such as program has since become a UTS Student Translates 16th and lasting contribution to the F1 the Toronto Symphony (grade 7) curriculum. regular addition to the musi- Century French Manuscript and Youth Orchestra, perform- cal offerings at the school. Creates new Component for F1 into English. More exciting ing concertos with other (Indeed, five other GTA History still: she was able to use this orchestras, and winning a schools have also adopted it Early in her UTS career, work as the basis for a new variety of contests such as into their regular curricula Kate Fung ’10 had discov- UTS project. the national Canadian Music and it is now being offered ered her passion for languag- The document in ques- Competition. in two Ontario school boards es, history, and geography. tion was composed of the Helping to fuel this and four private schools). She became a polyglot and, letters – never before read enthusiasm, our dedicated Judy Kay is away on leave by S5 (Grade 11), was com- in English – of Chevalier de music teachers are sup- this year and we are thrilled posing poems in the style Lévis, a significant leader ported by the volunteer to have UTS alumnus Alex of “Cyrano de Bergerac”, in New France during the work of UTS alumni such Eddington ’98 filling in and reciting them with the same Seven Years’ War. From as Mitchell Wong ’05 and sharing his passion for music panache and talent as the the beginning, it was clear with UTS students. famous character. By S6 that the requirements of In addition, UTS is proud (Grade 12), having exhausted this project far exceeded to host visiting musicians all the courses in her areas those of any standard high who conduct master classes of interest, Kate began to school course. Kate and or workshops. Most recently, cast about for new academic her French teacher, Marie- cellist Matt Brubeck (son challenges. When she found Claire Récurt, realized of the jazz great Dave an extension course with the that additional supervision Brubeck) and Drew Jureka assigned task of translating and time would be needed taught the M4 strings class, hundreds of pages of prima- to complete this formi- and UTS alumnus Conrad ry source documents in 18th dable project. The path Chow ’99 gave a lunch-hour Century French, she could for these accommodations violin recital. hardly have imagined where was cleared and supported This hubbub of musi- it would lead. Shortly before by Principal Michaele cal activity means that the graduating in the spring of Roberston who – in con- music department is always 2010, Kate had translated a junction with vice principals Conrad Chow ’99 gave a lunch- hour on the look-out for instru- 500-page manuscript dating Dorothy Davis, Philip violin recital recently at UTS. ments. If you are looking for from France in the 1700s Marsh, and Rick Parsons – 4 the root : The UTS alUmni magazine | SpRing 2011 realized the contribution that Kate could make by complet- ing the project: she would give unprecedented access uTs aPPOints its to a vital aspect of Canadian history for Anglophone students, researchers, and scholars. ne W PrinciPal Once the translation had he new year brought search consultant been completed, the work exciting news to UTS laverne Smith – and moved from a purely literary with the appoint- also reaching out and historical focus to one t ment of rosemary to discover what having curriculum applica- evans as principal, effective the UTS community tions for the F1 study of New July 1. She will be succeeding felt were important France. Kate embarked on michaele m. Robertson, who considerations in a collaboration with UTS retires at the end of her five- a new principal year term on June 30.